The Iona College Arts Center officially presented its new exterior architectural mural with a ribbon cutting ceremony on Oct. 20 during homecoming weekend.

Last year, the New Rochelle Municipal Arts Commission requested that an outdoor permanent mural be designed and installed in front of the building to revitalize North Avenue, according to Iona’s Council on the Arts Chair JoAnn Murphy. The Council then sent out proposals to find artists who would be interested in submitting a two or three dimensional architectural piece. The winning artist was chosen by the Council on the Arts, which is comprised of professors, students, faculty, Murphy and Coordinator of Arts Programming and Gallery Director Madalyn Barbero-Jordan. After the Council chose the piece it wanted, it needed to be approved by the Municipal Arts Commission.

Ukrainian painter and architect Elena Kalman, who has more than 30 years of experience, was chosen to create the mural. Kalman installed five 8-foot-tall abstract figures with their heads facing Loftus Residence Hall. She called the architectural piece “Dreamers.” The bodies of each figure are attached to the wall, and the cut-outs of each figure are designed to represent the disciplines within art: music, theatre, drawing and painting and dance. The fifth figure, located in the middle, represents the Tree of Knowledge.

“When I approached this piece of art, I was looking mostly at the environment,” Kalman said. “This piece is sight-inspired art. I came here without any preconceived notion. I came, looked at the building, looked at the neighborhood, looked at the Iona College campus, and this was what I came up with in response to what the building wants to be, what the neighborhood wants to be [and] what kind of art would enhance this area of New Rochelle.”

Kalman has been exposed to architecture since she was a child. She said that the influence of her mother, a structural engineer, and attending architectural classes in her hometown drove her desire to pursue a career in architecture. Eventually, she also began to fall in love with art.

Art was controversial in the Soviet Union while Kalman was growing up. She said her parents forbade her from pursuing that route.

“Architecture was kind of like a compromise,” Kalman said.

Iona families, students and staff gathered outside of the Arts Center to listen to Kalman’s speech and witness her cutting the ribbon to officially dedicate the piece as a part of the community.

Rick Palladino, director of libraries and an Iona alumnus, said he appreciated it as an addition to the campus.

“I love it,” Palladino said. “It catches the artistic element of the students and the staff. I have seen many changes here at Iona. Back in the ‘80s there was no artwork on the wall.”

Murphy said she liked that the art gave a signal to the community of the building’s purpose.

“This building was blank,” Murphy said. “Now, you know that this is an art building. Not only the community, but even some of our students were unaware of what was in the building. We have sculpture shows, painting show, or photographs. So consequently, [the mural] really kind of put us on the map.”

After unveiling the mural to the public, those who attended were invited into the center to view its newest exhibition called “Shifting Focus: Hidden in Plain Sight,” which Palladino curated. Go to p. 9 for more information about the exhibit.